Free Web NovelChapter 1182: Chapter 181: Shells
Cra-cra.
Bang bang bang.
Clang dong clang dong.
In the subway tunnel, an incessant cacophony echoed.
There were the sounds of gunfire, screams of people running, and the dense noise of a heavy train shattering the bones of the Bugmen.
It’s still a bit slow.
Li Ang shook his head with a slight sense of regret. The population of Los Angeles is relatively spread out, and the subway system isn’t very advanced,
the extinction efficiency of the Bolster Train Hero is still somewhat slow.
"I can’t just create multiple trains like in the trolley problem, to be fair, and crush all the Bugmen on the tracks, can I?"
Li Ang sighed, looking up at the top of the subway tunnel, which was constantly shaking off dust, his brows slightly furrowed.
Boom!!!
A loud explosion occurred further back in the subway tunnel, a missile with a strange shape, resembling an expanding screw,
penetrated the thick layers of rock, soil, and metal retaining walls,
the top half of the missile protruded into the subway tunnel.
Boom!
In the next second, the missile exploded, metal fragments flew everywhere, and the heat and explosive shockwave reverberated through the tunnel, whipping the Mirage Dragon Red Mane Coat worn by Li Ang violently.
GBU-28 "Gem Road" III Laser-Guided Bomb, a laser-guided bunker-buster bomb urgently manufactured by America in response to the Gulf War. Although it was an "early birth," hurriedly developed, its effect was surprisingly good,
the first batch of GBU-28 bombs successfully destroyed the underground complex facilities of an air force base several kilometers north of Baghdad, causing devastating damage to the underground bunker. However, due to intelligence errors, nearly a thousand civilians inside the bunker were killed.
Thud!
Thud!
Thud!
One, two, three.
More and more bunker-buster bombs penetrated from above the tunnel, steadily advancing toward Li Ang like nails on a wooden board.
Previously, the American military knew Li Ang’s approximate location through the helmet video connection devices carried by the dead U.S. soldiers,
they didn’t hope that the 306 kg high-explosive warhead compartments carried by the GBU-28 bunker-buster bombs would directly kill Li Ang,
they just hoped the shockwaves and fragment projectiles from the explosions would slightly slow Li Ang’s actions and waste even a little bit of his energy.
"Futile."
Li Ang looked at the dense bunker-buster bombs closing in and shook his head, pushing off the ground with his foot and darting out of the subway tunnel, returning to the surface.
A flight formation composed of four F-111 fighter-bombers and four F/A-18 "Hornets" was rapidly flying over Los Angeles; they had just completed the first wave of ground-strike missions when they saw a scarlet figure shoot up from the ground, ascending to over 400 meters in altitude.
"Calling command center, calling command center, we have spotted enemy traces..."
The pilot of one of the F/A-18 fighter jets was gripped by a certain panic the moment he saw Li Ang. He instinctively wanted to finish his sentence, trying to press the button to launch air-to-air missiles at the target.
However, Li Ang’s hand raised faster than him.
Nearly seventh-level psychic abilities, released wantonly,
formed a massive invisible circle in the high air through the invisible impact of psychic vibrations,
penetrating directly through the fragile glass protection of the fighter cockpit, piercing through the pilot’s mind.
"Ugh!"
All the pilots on the fighter jets had their eyes blood-shot, as if they were seeing countless terrifying scenes.
The sanity in their minds was rapidly peeling away.
"Mayday! Mayday!"
The pilot called for help from the command center with difficulty, using up the last bit of his sanity, slowly tightening his finger pressing the missile launch button,
the next second, all the pilots’ brains exploded simultaneously,
red and white suspicious substances splattered throughout every corner of the cockpit,
the mindworm body hidden in the brain also shattered into countless fragments.
However, the F-111 bombers and Hornet fighters were still flying.
"Now is the time!"
In the underground facility at Laughlin Air Force Base, 5 miles east of Del Rio, Texas, a U.S. Air Force major general slammed his hand down hard.
They had long anticipated that Li Rising might have the ability to kill anyone remotely and even control large numbers of American soldiers through psychic abilities.
Therefore, they obtained software from AIM.
This software is actually an improved version of the soldier simulation training equipment in U.S. military bases on land, sea, and air.
Soldiers in military bases can remotely control missile vehicles, fighter jets, and bombers thousands of miles away by wearing VR helmets or operating computer programs.
The power of psychic abilities is invisible, intangible, has a wide range, and great permeability.
But with this software, they can continue to control the fighters after Li Rising kills the pilots en masse and even, to a certain extent, strip the real pilots inside the fighters of their control rights.
"Missiles launched!"
The virtual training device’s U.S. pilot steadily announced,
Meanwhile, above Los Angeles, the F/A-18 Hornet fighter jets, now pilotless, fired flames from under their wings.
Named AIM-132, the advanced short-range air-to-air missiles were launched simultaneously,
four slender cylindrical missiles, trailing long tail flame arcs in the mid-air, raced toward Li Ang from different directions.
"Oh?"
Li Ang raised an eyebrow slightly surprised; being able to launch missiles without pilots...
AIM, indeed like the information suggests, is the top-tier player specializing in electronic information technology?
He thought, raising his left arm absentmindedly.
Rip——
A mass of plant vines grew and spread from beneath the Mirage Dragon Red Mane Coat, wrapping the entire left arm, making Li Ang’s left arm suddenly swell up.
Somewhat like... a localized Demigod Titan Form.
Li Ang raised his left arm, nearly a meter in diameter, and opened his palm toward the four incoming AIM-132 air-to-air missiles.
Boom!!!
His left arm emitted rolling hot steam,
fifty nearly one-meter-long wooden spikes shot out from his arm like a goddess scattering flowers, a part of them pierced the air-to-air missiles at lightning speed,
detonating the missiles’ 10kg-level explosive fragmentation warhead.
And the remaining wooden stakes, unstoppable, pierced through all the bombers and fighters attempting to shift to either side.
Boom!
Eight aircraft exploded spectacularly over Los Angeles,
The Bugman war vehicles, worth billions, lost control, billowing black smoke as they spiraled into the skyscrapers of Los Angeles, erupting into fiery infernos.
"Heh."
Floating mid-air, Li Ang indifferently retracted his gaze from the falling aircraft.
————
In the underground command center of Laughlin Air Force Base,
The Air Force Lieutenant General, adorned with star medals on his shoulders, silently stared at the screen with his subordinates, as images from the low Earth orbit surveillance satellites played out.
Everyone’s expressions were grim; none had anticipated that the most advanced killing technology represented by the US military jets could be so swiftly and thoroughly destroyed, crashing down upon their own cities.
"Indeed... conventional weapons... are too weak."
The Air Force Lieutenant General took a deep breath, glanced at his subordinates in the command center who were long silent and choked up, and firmly commanded, "Everyone, pull yourselves together!
No matter how strong the opponent, they are, after all, a carbon-based lifeform.
And as long as they are carbon-based lifeforms, there are bound to be flaws and weaknesses.
Plan B-23 hasn’t lost yet!
Continue to dispatch fighter jets! Stop him at all costs!"
"Yes!"
The air force base resumed its hectic operation, and over Los Angeles, Li Ang faced a new round of onslaught.
A barrage of cruise and ballistic missiles trailed him like an inextricable affliction.
The cruise missiles have a range of 2,500 kilometers,
while intercontinental ballistic missiles typically exceed 8,000 kilometers, with some models reaching over 15,000 kilometers.
The US spans 4,500 kilometers from east to west, meaning
most US cruise missiles can reach Li Ang’s position, and some intercontinental ballistic missiles can even be launched from Europe.
At all costs, regardless of losses, simply stall Li Ang.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh——
The sky echoed with continuous piercing sounds,
Li Ang squinted his eyes, as the localized Demigod Titan’s left arm further expanded gigantically,
numerous plant vines emerged from the openings of the Mirage Dragon Red Mane Coat,
connecting to the surrounding skyscrapers at the intersection, weaving a massive plant net suspended in mid-air, spanning hundreds of meters.
This net rapidly grew, and like a banyan tree, drooped massive vines to the ground, continuing to delve downward, penetrating subway tunnels, and exhaling misty pollen into the tunnels.
Any Bugmen inhaling the pollen would cough violently in agony, flowers and weeds sprouting from their eyes, nose, mouth, and ears.
Most frighteningly, these Bugmen do not die, but following their biological instincts, attempt to flee in directions away from danger.
The flowers and weeds growing from their bodies continue to spread the next wave of lethal pollen.
Meanwhile, the plant net above the Los Angeles intersection continued growing, fortifying itself, and combined with Li Ang’s alchemy, formed a massive turret-like device, blending steel, flesh, and plants.
This was a blueprint Li Ang had obtained from the Deep Sea Monster World,
used by the Pacific Rim United Defense Corps during the mid-stage of the monster wars to combat deep-sea giants – the "Dawn" model superheavy railgun.
This railgun boasted immense firepower and extensive range, with a terrifying caliber of 800 millimeters, requiring installation on giant beast fortresses or special battleships to mitigate its tremendous recoil.
In the Pacific Rim United Defense Corps’ planning, their mecha pilots would deploy the A.T. Force Field to counter the A.T. Force Field of the deep-sea giants,
removing the giants’ surface defense, and then firing the Dawn superheavy railgun from miles away to annihilate the deep-sea giants with a heavy projectile.
This concept was wild and astounding, but proved quite effective in practice—pilots controlling mecha to hold the deep-sea giants would activate the mecha’s vector nozzle mouth, manipulating the giants’ movements to correct any deviation in the superheavy railgun projectile,
consuming great resources, manpower, material, and financial cost to build such a railgun, even more than crafting heavy mecha, eventually leading to a halt in further construction,
with the remaining few railguns eventually expended, and ultimately, entirely destroyed in subsequent monster wars.
And now...
Li Ang liberally unleashed the Swamp God Power and alchemy, transforming the entire intersection into a turret base for the superheavy railgun,
while the rooftops of numerous taller buildings in the surrounding area brimmed with dense quick-firing anti-aircraft guns—also creations from the Deep Sea Monster World, designed to effectively launch metal link chains to destroy approaching cruise and ballistic missiles.
"First is... Davis–Monthan Air Force Base."
Li Ang silently calculated the distances on the map in his mind, the pollen he released in the subway tunnel parasitized tens of thousands of Bugmen,
absorbing their mental impressions of the area, including those from Bugman soldiers,
to prevent any railgun firing errors.
Li Ang counted down to himself, "3, 2, 1..."
BOOM!!!
The railgun turret, slanted and towering over Los Angeles, erupted with sky-rending flames,
The hybrid plant and steel turret base emitted a teeth-gritting creaking and snapping sound,
The massive railgun recoil caused even the divinely reinforced plant vines to fracture, squeezing out dark green plant sap.
A dark green colossal metal projectile streaked through the air,
The low Earth orbit surveillance satellites immediately captured the scene,
In the underground command center of Laughlin Air Force Base, the Air Force Lieutenant General’s pupils contracted sharply, instinctively wanting to order the missile interception system to intercept the almost invisible giant metal projectile,
but his instincts screamed that it was all in vain.
No time...
Arizona, Tucson City, Davis-Monthan Air Force Base.
This airbase holds a relatively special status within the US military lineup, occupying 2,600 acres, housing outdated aircraft worth $35 billion to provide spare parts for current models. Davis-Monthan Air Force Base stores over a thousand aircraft, some temporarily between deployments, but over 80% of these planes will ultimately end their service here. Davis–Monthan is also a "Steel Cemetery," capable of reclaiming 350,000 pieces of steel when necessary.
This air force base is home to the US Military’s 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group (309 AMARG), responsible for aircraft repair, maintenance, and even returning some planes to the skies. Engines, ammunition, wiring, electronics, and any usable spare parts are salvaged and repurposed to reduce the cost of maintaining the enormous current fleet. In 2005, the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group’s staff salvaged 19,000 parts valued at $568 million.
No time, send first, sorry
No time, send first, sorry
No time, send first, sorry
No time, send first, sorry
No time, send first, sorry
